In 2004, the Dean of Arts and the Dean of Science at UBC partnered with the Arts Undergraduate Society and the Science Undergraduate Society to gain a better understanding of undergraduate student experiences and outcomes. The Undergraduate Student Survey on Student Satisfaction and Engagement (USS) was administered to all Arts and Science…

It is not what is taught that has the most influence on students' study behaviour, but rather what is assessed. Computer-assisted assessment offers the possibility of widening the scope of the material that is assessed, without placing excessive burdens on either staff or students. This article describes a computer-assisted assessment scheme…

This study examines the ease of, and proficiency in, accessing web based technology, and the convenience (or otherwise) of service delivery in the facilitation of combining study with paid work for undergraduate students of James Cook University (JCU), Cairns Campus, Far North Queensland. Considering that the typical new millennium student is…

Bakhtin's (1981) concept of chronotope provides a way of viewing student participation in the classroom as a dynamic process constituted through the interaction of past experience, ongoing involvement, and yet-to-be-accomplished goals. Although the actual design and use of classroom space may be important in facilitating a participatory pedagogy,…

This paper reviews many of the observed characteristics and study habits of first-year students in Iowa State University's electrical engineering programme (Ames, Iowa, USA). The studying and problem-solving practices of the students are discussed to identify salient traits, strengths and weaknesses, and critical symptoms thereof, which can affect…

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Preparing for the Demands of the New World Economy (Patrick J. O'Connor); (2) Connecting At-Risk Youth to the High-Performance Workforce (Patrick J. O'Connor); (3) Butler…

An interdisciplinary sustainable design project that combines membrane technology with renewable energy to provide water for remote communities and developing countries was offered to students for voluntary participation. Through continuous design stages and improvements on several prototypes, laboratory testing and several field trials in…

In this keynote address presentation, Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for public television's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," makes a compelling case for saving America's urban neighborhoods from decline. Suarez discusses the role that higher education must play in this effort. [Keynote Address presented at the Outreach Scholarship 2003…

This "Technical Guide" describes the methodology and concepts used to measure and grade the performance of the 50 states in the higher education arena. Part I presents the methodology for grading states and provides information on data collection and reporting. Part II explains the indicators that comprise each of the graded categories.…

This paper provides an account of the development of online communities at Ultralab for students engaged on masters-level programmes, doctoral research and continuing professional learning. It considers the ways in which the engagement of learners, and their consequent participation, is seen to be dependent on several factors--the learners'…

In this article, we explore distinctions between creative practice and a practice which fosters creativity, drawing on case study data from an English nursery and a first school. We suggest that, in practice, these distinctions are very blurred.

Seeking to distance themselves from the educational patterns they dislike, some contemporary advocates of academic studies overlooked an important problem that they share with the progressives they criticize. For example, Diane Ravitch blamed the absence of academics in schools on what she called the progressive educators' efforts to provide…

Demonstrating the contribution of leadership development programs to student learning has become a problem of considerable recent interest to both school reformers and those attempting to improve how school leaders are prepared. This article describes an innovative approach to improving school leadership developed by the Greater New Orleans School…

Engaging students in a course in the Sociology of Religion can be a challenge, particularly when working with student populations in a homogeneous region of the country who have limited experience with religious diversity. We approached the course from a sociological/anthropological perspective, requiring each student to complete an in-depth…

This article is about a computer lab project in which prospective teachers used Geometer's Sketchpad software to create two-dimensional nets for three-dimensional shapes. Since this software package does not contain ready-made tools for creating non-regular or regular polygons, the students used prior knowledge and geometric facts to create their…